Selection
by eremika0000
Summary: ZELINK. Link is chosen to become 1 of 50 suitors for Princess Zelda in The Selection. When he arrives, it is nothing like it seems, and the other men are willing to do anything to win The Selection and Princess Zelda. Link had fallen had over heels for the beautiful and kind princess, but when the suitors are willing to kill for the prize, will he even survive to compete for her?
1. Meeting

_**Hi guys ^.^. I got the base of the plot from the story The Selection, by Kiera Kass. I loved it a lot, and I wondered what it would be like if Zelda would be in Maxon's place, and Link in America's. Thus this story :)**_

Link sighs wearily, exhausted. He had traveled nearly 9 miles that day, and needed a rest. Hyrule City seemed much farther than 10 miles. To Link, it felt more like hundreds of miles. But he couldn't give up. The city was only a mile or so away now. But he needed to find shelter to sleep.

Traveling to Hyrule City was quite a pain, but it was worth it. Link had actually been chosen for The Selection, an event where the princess of Hyrule, Zelda, would have 50 men from the county come to her palace. They were chosen randomly, 1 man, 16 years to 20 years of age, from each town. The point of The Selection was for the princess to chose 1 man to marry who would help rule Hyrule along side her. It was quite a feat to be chosen, and Link was proud that he was singled out among so many. He could only imagine how beautiful and kind princess Zelda would be. Though he didn't expect her to chose him out of so many, he was glad to go for the experience.

He looks around the thick oak trees, and curses. It would be quite a challenge for him to find any place suitable for shelter in this dense forest. The cold night breeze was relentless, and Link wanted nothing more than to be back at his home in Ordon. But, it was too dark and cold to be traveling, and he kept going, seeking some kind cliff or rock side that could help shelter him from the breeze.

He felt very eerie, as if something was watching him in the thick of the bushes. Keeping his wits about him, Link told himself it was probably just a curious squirrel, and kept at his search for shelter.

Finally, he finds what seems to be a suitable resting place. It is a small cave cut into the side of a cliff, and the cave seemed to be quite deep. Link heads into the cave. However, the cave is nearly pitch black, and he nearly stumbles over a rock countless times. He reaches the end of the cave, sets his traveling supplies down, and lays down upon the stony floor. It was still cold, not to mention uncomfortable, but he much preferred this than the cruel weather outside.

As he finally relaxes, he realizes he is not alone.

Though very faint, Link can hear something breathing ever so slightly. Fearfully, he edges towards where he believes the noise comes from. The breathing grows louder, and he knows whatever shares this cave with him is only a few inches away. Terrified, he slowly reaches down, ready to face the creature. However, his hand meets something unexpected. Unbelievably soft, and squishy... He squeezes it, mystified. _**Flesh? What!**_ He feels around a little more, and suddenly feels fabric. It was very thin, and felt like lace. _**Lace. What? Is that a human?**_

Link fishes his flashlight out of his supplies, and turns it on, shining it down. What is revealed is completely unexpected.

A girl! She lays upon the stone cave, wearing a short white skirt. She was only wearing a bra to cover her top. The bra looked expensive, made from fine pink lace and soft satin. Her breasts were full and supple, and he could not help but stare. She seemed young, 17 or 18, and judging by her bra, must be from a high end family. Her dark brown hair falls below her delicate shoulders in small waves. Her skin is porcelain, flawless, and pristine. _**She looks like a goddess.**_ Link thinks.

 _ **Wait... The lace I felt.. Her bra.. The soft, squishy flesh... I was fondling a stranger!**_ Link's face heats up, and he cannot help but feel a few feelings that he shouldn't have in some "other" areas. He was a man, after all. Yet, he couldn't help but think of how her flesh felt beneath his hand... Let's just say Link felt something "raise up" and he quickly forced the thoughts out of his head with much effort.

Link leans over and slowly prods the girl upon the arm. She stirs, mutters something in her sleep, and grabs Link from around the neck. She pulls him down onto her breast, like she would a stuffed animal. He is literally smothered in her chest. A man's dream, you could say. But under these circumstances, perhaps not.

He gasps, embarrassed. Did she think he was nothing more than a stuffed animal or something? Did she know where she was putting his face at?

He manages to break free, and quite done with this struggle, yells, "WAKE UP!"

She rouses right away. Link turns his flashlight so it shines down onto her, and casts a ghostly light upon Link. Her deep blue eyes fly open, and her eyes flicker to him in astonishment. She shoots up, and covers her chest. "Who are you, peeping tom!"

"I'm no such thing! I came in here to stop for the night, and I find you on the ground half naked."

The girl blushes, still covering her chest. 'It was very hot earlier today, so I removed my shirt. I didn't expect a peeping tom to come in this cave with me. There are no people around these parts usually. Now get out. I found this cave first."

Link stands his ground. "I won't leave. It's too cold now and this is the only shelter I could find. I won't bother you anymore, I'll just go in this corner." He slowly edges towards the corner. "Goodnight."

The girl sighs, and goes as far as she can away from Link in the cave. "Don't look, I'm changing." She snaps, rummaging into her bag for her shirt.

"Trust me, I won't!" Link says back, but secretly, he wishes he could. The girl pulls her shirt over her head, curls up in a fetal position, and attempts to fall asleep, though her mind is busy with thoughts of Link, despite her dismay.

Meanwhile, Link also cannot sleep. He could not stop thinking about this new girl. Who was she, and why was she here, in the middle of the forest, by herself? But he pushes these thoughts away. _**I'll be at the castle tomorrow. I shouldn't become interested in some weird rich girl. I need to be at my best for princess Zelda.**_

The girl turns on her side, and forces all thoughts of this new boy out of her head. **I cannot be caught up with some farm boy. I am princess Zelda of Hyrule, and the day after tomorrow, The Selection will start to find my husband. I can't allow my feelings to waver or wander. This is the duty of the Princess, to find a suitable husband who can lead Hyrule, or so my father says. Can't I even follow my heart? I suppose not. Sometimes, things don't always work out the right away, but I just have to get through this.**


	2. Blizzard

Link wakes the next morning feeling extremely cold.. He doesn't know why it is so cold, and he curls up tighter, hoping to draw in more heat, but to no avail.. Something cold and wet touches his nose. He doesn't want to wake just yet, but he couldn't expect to sleep in this cold.

He opens his azure blue eyes, and is astonished. Outside the cave, it is completely white. White with snow! At least a few inches must have fallen, and the wind howling strongly. The wind didn't look too far away from turning into a full blown blizzard.

 _ **What the hell, it's only early September! Winter shouldn't be here for a while... Well, with Hyrule weather, it's not a huge surprise. It could easily go from 80 degrees to 30 the next day.**_

He rises slowly, his muscles protesting a bit from sleeping upon the hard ground all night. He scans his surroundings, finally able to see the cave in full light. He had hardly knew what it looked like last night since it was so dark. The cave, now in light, was much closer to the outside than Link had thought. No wonder he could feel the weather so easily.

Link looks over to the girl, seeing her clearly for the first time. It was if the light streaming in to the cave had made her more beautiful, highlighting her perfect complextion and facial features. She had a small, cute, slightly upturned nose. Her face was delicately shaped, like a soft heart. Her eyelashes, long and dark, brushed over her closed eyes. Chocolate brown hair fell well below her shoulders in soft waves and stopped just below her breast. _**She looks like a beautiful princess from a fairy tale or something... So cute...**_

Suddenly, the girl shivers violently. He remembers that she is only wearing a white mini skirt and a short sleeved shirt. Her skin, he notices, is starting to turn a light hue of purple.

 _ **I think I brought an extra blanket with me. I'll give it to her.**_

Link turns around, and digs through his bag. Meanwhile, the girl is just waking up. She shivers again, wrapping her arms around herself. She looks over to Link, slightly reserved, but much better than yesterday when she was snapping at him. "Sorry for how I acted yesterday... I know you didn't mean any harm." She seemed like a different person now. She was facing away from Link, acting a little shyly.

He blushes a bit, seeing her act so cutely. "Uh... Um... No problem! Here, you look cold." Link removes his coat, so now he is only wearing his trademark green tunic. He gently puts the coat around her small shoulders.

"T-Thanks." The girl gratefully covers herself with the garment, already feeling warmer.

Link looks out of the mouth of the cave with a sigh. "We should probably get to some real shelter before the blizzard comes in. It's already pretty bad out there, but we won't last long in a cave like this if a blizzard comes through. I know of a small inn about a mile from here. We can stay there for the night and wait for the weather to clear up."

The girl nods, but looks concerned. "I don't think i'll be able to walk in snow this deep with these flip flops. It was so warm when I left, I didn't think to bring warmer clothes."

Link stares off into the distance, contemplating. "How would we get to the inn, then? If you can't walk... I could... uh... carry you. I can't think of any other way, and we'll freeze if we stay here overnight. The blizzard looks like it won't be stopping any time soon."

"I suppose we'll have to... do that." She murmurs, feeling awkward. She looks at the cave wall away from Link, avoiding his gaze.

"So.. just grab your stuff, and lets get going..." Link is already blushing. This certainly was going to be an interesting experience.

The girl grabs her bag, and walks over to Link. He picks her up with ease. _**She's so light...**_ He thinks.

She feels very vunerable in his arms like this, being cradeled to his chest like a small child. She looks down, as to make sure he can't see her flushed cheeks.

He slowly walks out of the cave, and trudges through the snow. It's rather difficult, with the snow being so deep. But he manages to do it. As he walks through the snow, he tries to think of something to say that could ease the tension between the two of them.

"So... Why were you in that cave by yourself?" Link asks, curiously.

The girl doesn't look up at him. "I ran away from home, actually. Things got tense and I needed a break. Father is probably so worried..." She stares off into the distance, wondering what The King would be doing at the castle after learning of her disappearance.

Link doesn't inquire any further. It was her personal buisness, and she probably didn't want to talk about it, if it upset her enough to leave her home and come to the wilderness. He felt bad for the poor girl. Though he was nearly the opposite of being in a rich family like hers, he knew that people in the higher class had their own unique problems that a villager like Link would never understand.

He notices the wind was growing increasingly colder and harsher. If they didn't get out of this weather soon, they would be goners. He could hear the girl's teeth chattering. Link didn't expect the blizzard to be coming on this quickly, and they had barely made any progress from the cave. Plus, he could barely walk now. His limbs felt like a burning fire, and each step hurt more than the last.

"We won't make it to the inn tonight..." Link mutters, out of breath. "We'll have to find another sort of shelter to hide from the blizzard. I don't know where the cave we came from is, though."

The girl nods, her dark wavy hair whipping behind her in the wind.

Link felt as if his limbs would give out any moment. But, if he dropped the girl, she would get frost bite with her exposed toes in a small amount of time. So he willed himself onward, hoping to find some kind of shelter.

 _~~~ 30 Minutes Later ~~~_

Link lets the girl down onto the cave floor, and collapses with an exasperated sigh. A floor had never felt so good to him, despite it being cold. The blizzard rages outside, but it was still better in there than outside.

After getting a breather, Link gets up, and heads to the back of the cave. It wasn't as deep as the cave they had been in previously, though.

"Come over here, it will be warmer if we stay in the back." He motions for her to sit beside him. She complies, and sits just far away enough so that their skin does not touch.

They sit in silence for a while, waiting for the weather to calm. But the blizzard seems only to be getting worse. So much snow had fallen, and the winds were picking up in speed, whipping the snow all over in massive flurries. The temperature was also dropping dramatically, as the sun was starting to set.

Though Link knew the girl was trying to hide it, he could easily see she couldn't take much more of this horrible weather. By now, it was probably well below zero, and she was wearing a skirt and a light jacket. She trembled constantly now. He decides to strike up small talk to ease his mind off their possible impending fate if the weather keeps up.

"So, what's your name? You never told me, and i'm not sure what to call you. I'm Link, by the way. From Ordon Village." He looks down at her expectantly.

She looks down at her legs, as if she couldn't decide what to say. "I'm Zelda. From Hyrule City." She murmurs curtly. Link could tell she wasn't going to offer up much more than that. He wondered what had happened to that fiesty girl he had met last night in the cave.

 _ **Wait... Zelda? Same name as the princess... Just a coincidence. Families probably name their children after the princess a lot. It's funny, though. That i'm traveling with Zelda to meet Zelda...**_

That was the last of their conversation. Both of them were too miserable now to keep talking. The cold wasn't letting down at all, it was getting worse.

Minutes pass, and Link begins to get seriously concerned for Zelda. Her breathing was very shallow, he notices. When he looked at her he thought she closely resembled a statue frozen in place.

 _ **I hope she isn't getting hypothermia... I need to do something to warm us up, or both of us will die in here.**_

"Zelda... I don't want either of us to end up dying here from the cold... so I have a suggestion..." Link looks straight ahead and avoids eye contact with her so it'd be less awkward.

She looks over to him. "W-Whatever it is, i-i'll do it." She murmurs, shaking violently. "I can't take this anymore..."

"We-we should probably create body heat... By... uh... getting close under my jacket. We should be able to make it through the night if we can create friction by staying close together, l-like penguins... haha." Link laughs awkwardly.

Zelda blushes, but at this point, she is willing to do anything. She wouldn't give in to her shyness when it could be their doom. If there was any way for them to make it, she wanted to try.

"S-sure..." She whispers. "Like penguins."

Link and Zelda curl up on the ground together, and scrunch as close as they can together. He then pulls his jacket over them, covering them like a blanket.

He could already feel himself warming tried to stray his mind from the fact that Zelda's chest was touching his. _**Not time for this, Link. Survival. Not boobs. Survival. You are a penguin, not a hormone controlled teen. Penguins huddle to keep warm. Not mate...**_

Inhaling, he notices something. She smelled intoxicatingly sweet, like a forbidden candy or something. The scent slightly resembled the smells of the apple orchard in his village, and he feels a stab of homesickness in his gut. But, he knew that no matter how far, his friends back at home would be thinking about him and wait for his return, and that was enough.

His minds wanders, and he thinks of The Selection. _**I am glad, though, that I left a few days eariler to get to the castle. I didn't think there would be a damn blizzard. But i'm pretty excited for The Selection, and especially meeting princess Zelda. I wonder what she is like? What are the other guys like in The Selection? I hope I can get along with them... It would be a huge pain if I made enemies.**_

"We should probably go to sleep, and make the time go by faster, so we can get to Hyrule City tomrrow. The snow should be lower by then so we shouldn't have much trouble." He expects something kind of response from her, but is surprised when she doesn't say anything. "Zelda?"

He peeks under the blanket, and sees that she is sleeping soundly, the color already returning to her lips and cheeks. Smiling, he slowly covers them both with the blanket.

Link stays awake for a while longer, unable to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about The Selection, and what it might hold. The stay at the castle might last a mere week, or could be as long as a year, the deadline for The Selection. He hoped he could stay a while longer and get to know the princess.

The thoughts slowly slip away, and with it, the sounds of the howling wind. He falls into the oblivion of deep sleep, not knowing what the next day holds...

.


	3. Forbidden

The sounds of chirping birds wakes Zelda the next morning. She throws off the blanket, feeling extremely warm. Outside, the snow has long since melted, leaving only a few small piles of snow scattered around the forest. If someone were to see the outside, they probably wouldn't have thought there had been a full blown out blizzard just a few hours before.

Next to her, Link still sleeps soundly. Zelda stares at him and studies him. He was a very attractive man, she notices. His face was perfectly sculpted, all of his features were perfectly aligned. His hair was in complete disarray, sticking out at random odd angles. She felt a strange urge to reach out and stroke his hair. It looked so soft and touchable...

Suddenly, Link's eyes snap open. His azure blue eyes were like a deep ocean. They seemed so sharp and intense from a glance, but if you stared deep enough, you would get lost in the depths of the calm of the ocean.

They stare into one another's eyes for a moments. Zelda feels a bit nervous, and butterflies flutter lightly within her stomach. She hadn't noticed until now how attractive he was. His was leanly muscular, results probably from working in the fields at his village. His arm muscles were nicely toned. He had a light tan, making his dirty blonde hair more noticeable. He was probably 5'9 or 5'10, she guessed.

As she continues to stare, sizing him up, she realizes she is staring, and probably making it awkward. She looks down upon the cave floor, avoiding his gaze. When she looks back up shyly, he is still staring intently at her, as if he has something to say.

More time passes of complete silence, unless you count the light whispers of the breeze gently tousling the trees.

"We... should probably get going. I have something to attend to tomorrow in Hyrule City and I don't want to be late..." He says.

 _ **I also have something to do tomorrow... The first day of The Selection... Ugh, how am I going to deal with this? But, I should probably head back. Father must be hectic to have me missing when its so close to The Selection.**_

"It'd be easier for us to travel together since we're both going to the same place. You don't mind, right?" She looks down at her toes, feeling awkward.

He smiles kindly at her. "I'd be honored to go with you, 'milady." Link gets down upon 1 knee, snickering.

"Stop that!" Zelda giggles playfully, and decides to play along. She offers him her hand. "You should be grateful I am willing to grace you with my company." She says snidely, holding back a grin.

Link unexpectedly kisses her hand, and looks deep into her eyes. "Simply being in your company is more than enough." He smirks.

They both go into a fit of laughter.

"Anyways, we should get going." Link manages to say after they finally stopped laughing.

She nods, and together, they leave the cave, and head off towards the city.

~~~ _Hours Later ~~~_

The city slowly goes from a small dot on the horizon to a large bustling city. As Link and Zelda reach the gate, he looks over to her. "It was fun, Zelda. I hope I'll see you again, someday." His mouth is turned up in a handsome grin, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

She gives him a farewell grin, and heads off towards the castle, slightly fearful of how mad her father would be at her.

Once she reached the inside of the castle, the guards all rush to her right away. "Princess Zelda! The King has been in search of you. We have orders to take you to him once we see you."

Zelda shrugs. "Whatever, take me."

They lead her down the extravagant hallways of the castle. Fancy vases and antiques fill the castle, as well as old portraits of past leaders. They walk upon an expensive red carpet to the King's chamber.

"Well, here goes nothing." She murmurs, preparing herself to face his wrath.

~~~ _An Hour Later_ ~~~

Zelda collapses upon her silk and satin bed, utterly exhausted. The King was relentless with his lecture of how she had greatly disappointed him the day before The Selection, and he went on and on how she could never be the leader of a county if she was this irresponsible.

 _ **Easy for him to say. If he hasn't noticed, I'm under a lot of damn stress.**_

Not feeling tired enough to go to bed, she slowly heads to her balcony, opens the grand glass doors, and steps out into the breeze. Below the ledge, Hyrule city is bustling with activity, all the shops lit up. The people were going about their day. They probably were able decide who they wanted to spend their time with, and have freedom on who to marry, unlike her.. She truly envied that.

A single tear slips down her cheek. But she knew mulling over her problem wouldn't help her, so she forces herself to go back onto her bed.

"You have people trusting you, Zelda." She murmurs to herself. "Don't let them down. Be the princess this county needs and deserves."

At the corner of the room, she sees her dress set out for the first day of The Selection. It was a very exquisite gown, worthy of only the Princess. She had no say in what she could wear to the event tomorrow. She began thinking of all the makeup artists fussing over her. _**Great. Just what I need, girls poking and prodding all over me. TOTALLY looking forward to that. NOT.**_

After hours of tossing and turning, she finally slips and falls into the darkness that is sleep. However, this time, she had a dream. That was pretty rare for her, she usually had dreamless sleep.

In her dream, she was in a pretty open valley, filled with roses and violets. The sun shone brilliantly, and the breeze felt great. _**How could this be a dream? It feels so real.**_

Suddenly, Link appears. He is dressed in the same outfit she saw him in earlier that day, his village outfit. Without being able to control herself, she sees herself offer her hand to Link. It was like she was watching a movie, except much more vivid.

. Link gets down on one knee, like he did earlier that day, and gently kisses her hand. "Zelda." He murmurs. He looks up into her eyes, azure eyes seeming to be filled with many untold secrets. "No, _Princess_ Zelda." He smiles brilliantly, not taking his eyes off hers. His voice seemed to resonate within her ears. _Zelda. Zelda. Zelda._

Too soon, the dream ends, and Zelda jolts awake. She sits up, and looks outside. It was the crack of dawn, and soon, The maids would be coming to wake her up to prepare her for The Selection.

But, despite that, she couldn't stop thinking about the dream. Him saying her name continued to resonate within her very being, touching the deepest parts of her soul.

 _ **Stop it, Zelda. Don't be infatuated with that farm boy. You'll probably never see him again...**_

That's what she thought, at least.


	4. Pleasant Surprise

**_**Stop it, Zelda. Don't be infatuated with that farm boy. You'll probably never see him again...**_**

That's what she thought, at least.

"Princess Zelda!" A high pitched annoying voice rings in the air. "Are you awake yet, dear?" The voice of the maid makes her ears ring.

She sighs heavily, and responds wearily, "Yes, I am awake." She puts her head in her hands, exasperated. Ever since Zelda was little, she had been fussed over by various makeup stylists and her maids. It became quite a nuisance and stressful to her over time. She didn't like various people to try and fix her imperfections, and by the time she was all made up, she hardly looked like herself.

As if on cue, around a dozen makeup stylists and maids rush in, carrying their various supplies with them. Zelda stands up from her bed, mentally preparing herself for the hours to come of being poked and prodded by stylists.

 _ _~~~ Hours Later ~~~__

"Done!" The stylists exclaim in unison. Zelda stares in the mirror in front of her, surprised. It was obvious that they had tried to make her look more extravagant than usual, which she thought wasn't possible. It was the first day of The Selection, so she had to look her best, according to the stylists.

As for her appearance, she was breathtaking. She had her brown hair curled on the ends and wavy above it. Her hair was left down, so it cascaded down her backless dress. Her eyes were lined with black eyeliner which came out in a wing that really brought out the blue in her eyes. Her eyelids were colored a soft smokey gray, and her eyebrows lightly colored in so they looked a bit sharper than usual. Her lips were painted a vivid cocktail red, and her skin was powdered to that of a doll.

The dress was for sure something else. It was a full length dress that came to her feet, made of fine deep red silk. Over the silk, white sparkling lace was scattered around the dress in ornate designs. At her waist, the dress had 2 small cutouts in the shape of a diamond that exposed a little of her skin. Half of the dress in the back was bare, which exposed most Zelda's back.

She had to take a double take to see that it was still her. "I like it." She says, smiling. "Good job, girls."

Many of them gasped in surprise. Usually Zelda would be upset that she was forced to wear something not of her choosing,

Suddenly, the door to her room opens. A maid stands there, looking overly excited. "Zelda! The men are here. Please go and greet them, they are waiting for your arrival. For now, you will just be having a five minute session with each of them so you can introduce each other and what not. That will be all for the day, other than having dinner with all of them later on. "

Zelda nods in disbelief. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that for the second few weeks or more she would have so many men staying in her castle. The men could be kicked out on the first day by her choice or could stay for months depending on how much she liked certain guys. The man she chooses would become king and she would become queen.

 ** _ **I have to be very careful in my choice. I will have to be with the man for the rest of my life, for the sake of the country. I also need to be wary of people who are only after the crown and could care less about me...**_**

She follows after the maid absentmindedly, starting at the paintings on the walls while trying to keep herself calm.

 ** _ **Deep breaths, Zelda. In, and out. You have to look confident.**_**

Zelda enters the main room, and sees 50 men standing in a single file line. There is a royal styled sofa at the corner of the room, which she guessed was for her and each man to talk to each other on for a few minues.

 ** _ **Alright. Here goes nothing.**_**

She follows after the maid and sits upon the sofa as the first of the men heads towards the sofa.

 _ _~~~ Link ~~~__

Dressed up in an extremely high end suit courtesy of the stylists, Link felt a little out of place as he entered the castle. He'd never been catered to so much before by professionals. Apparently every man in the selection has his own personal maid/stylist who dresses them each day, does their hair, and attends to their other needs etc. His hair was slightly slicked back, giving him an older look. His suit was black and fitted nicely. The collar was left unbuttoned, showing a bit of skin.

He stands in line with the other men, wondering where Princess Zelda was. When he sees her come through the grand door, he is absolutely stunned, and his jaw drops.

She was dressed in a fine red gown that really showed off her curves. Her makeup wasn't too heavy, but it also highlighted her beautiful eyes, pristine skin, and perfect face shape. She truly looked like a princess.

As he continued to stare, he realizes something.

 ** _ **Wait. It's that girl from yesterday! Oh my god. Why didn't she tell me she was the princess? Then again, I didn't tell her I was going to the Selection. But what are the odds of me meeting her before The Selection… Wow…**_**

She doesn't notice him among the huge crowd of men. She gracefully walks towards the expensive looking royal sofa and sits upon it. From afar, she looks uncomfortable and perhaps nervous. Her cheeks were a little flushed and she stares down at her legs.

The first man in line heads towards the sofa, and they begin talking. Link stares, seeing if Zelda would take a liking to him. It didn't seem so. Their conversation seemed to be awkward and forced to him from a distance.

 ** _ **I wonder when she'll notice me here? I wish this line went faster.**_**

He continues to watch her with each man. So far, she hadn't seemed truly into the conversation with any of them. Her facial expressions seemed forced, and her smiles faked.

The men seemed totally into her though. A few people in front of him, he heard men in line talking about Zelda. He leans over to another guy, and whispers, "She's so hot. I'll have to turn on the charm for this… heh."

Time passes buy slowly but surely. Link is nearly at the front of the line of men, but Zelda still hadn't noticed him.

When his turn finally came, Link leisurely walks towards Zelda, his lips curling up into a playful smirk. When she sees him, she gasps, eyes wide in shock.

He sits down on the sofa next to her. "We meet again, Zelda."


	5. Effervescent

When his turn finally came, Link leisurely walks towards Zelda, his lips curling up into a playful smirk. When she sees him, she gasps, cerulean blue eyes wide in shock.

He sits down on the sofa next to her. "We meet again, Zelda."

Zelda's eyes widen in total shock. It was only the day before that she had told herself she would never see this man again, believing that indulging herself in the foundings of infatuation would lead to only disappointment and desolation. She had experienced similar things before, being allowed to only befriend people of royal standings. It was a habit of not expecting much from casual meetings that generally kept her in her own secluded world.

She knew not what to say, her mind completely void of even a single coherent thought. Link is still grinning, enjoying her distraught facial expression. She was normally a calm and composed person, always knowing way lay ahead, always prepared…

And within an instant, that distressed look was gone, replaced by a confident and calculating facade. "Nice to see you again… Link." Link grins widely at her, intrigued by her spontaneous facial expressions. She really was fascinating.

Link strides forward, nimbly sitting uncomfortably close to her on the sofa. She instantly tenses up, not expecting this sudden nearness. He can imagine the envious expressions of the men behind him who probably would never get this close to the princess.

Some deep part of him liked seeing her out of array and nervous. He thought it quite endearing and adorable. He liked being the only one to be able to affect her in such a way.

She inches away from him, attempting to compose herself and rid herself of her reddened cheeks. Link sees her trying to sort out her bewildered emotions, and it greatly amused him.

"Why not come a little closer? Princess…" Smirking dangerously, he shifts closer to her, so their shoulders gently touch. She intakes a sharp and unsteady breath at this physical contact. "So, how have you been? Zelda…" He says this in such a playful and teasing manner that her cheeks instantly flare up in a burning vivid red. "I-I'm good. And you?" She stutters as Link inches closer and closer to her on the sofa. Her words leak of nervousness and for some reason Link just found that so damn adorable, and it took all his willpower to not just crush her in a hug.

Zelda attempts to build up that confident 'know it all' facade again, failing miserably. "I'm just fine, thank you. and yourself?" Any other person probably wouldn't have seen through her, but Link was very observant. He could tell how nervous she was by the slight shaking of her hands, the rose tint to her cheeks, and a small tremble to her pristine voice.

"Oh, right…" Link murmurs, loud enough so Zelda can hear. "I have not formally introduced myself yet, your highness. My deepest apologies..." Link positions himself on one knee below her, kneeling. He takes her nimble fingers in his own, and lightly kisses the top of her hand. Link stares up at her, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. This was but an act of common formality with royalty, but a simple touch of the lips on her hand sent Zelda's heart fluttering.

Link is abruptly pushed out of the way by a tackily dressed nobleman, one of the 50 men from The Selection. The man then roughly takes Zelda's hand from Link. "Sorry, but the 5 minutes is long up. I would also like to speak to the princess…" He obviously wasn't sorry and just seemed to be mocking Link.

Zelda instantly got the creeps from the guy. It just wasn't right, the way he held her hand, running his fingers over her palms although they had just met. She wanted to wrench her hand away from this man, but didn't want to make a scene, so she plastered on a smile. "I'll see you later, Link." She give him a dismissive gesture with her hand and heads back onto the couch with the creep, dreading the awkward conversation ahead of her.

Link is stunned, but is quickly herded by a group of guards to a long and extravagantly decorated corridor. He is confused, but decides to just go with it. He is brought to a large room, which he assumed was his temporary bedroom while he was participating in The Selection.

"Dinner will be ready by approximately 7pm. We shall come to collect you at that time. Please wait here until then…" And with that, the guard abruptly closes the door behind him, leaving Link alone in a large and unfamiliar room.

The room was large and expensively decorated, as expected of a residential room in a castle. He much preferred his cozy room back in his village, but this would have to do for a while. He treads across a fancy plushy red rug and plops on the satin bed, sighing heavily. The room might be fancy, but it held no forms of entertainment. What would he do for hours until dinner?

I've always been a rule breaker… Heh. Grinning wildly, Link heads to the door, opening it softly so that not even a single noise could be heard. Time for some exploring.

~~~ Hours Later ~~~

After just finishing up with her conversations with the men, Zelda was once again being forced into more things she didn't want to do. Currently, she was being squeezed to death by her maids. For some reason, they decided that she needed a corset under her dress for dinner. Corsets were her absolute worst nightmare. Yay, having the air squeezed out of her entire upper body for hours. Not. She was also quite ticklish so the process was quite a pain, as she was constantly squealing and turning away from the maids.

Meanwhile, Link is exploring the hallways of Hyrule Castle. They were eerily empty. He expected various guards to be on duty, but none of the sort. As he continues to sneak through the halls, he hears strange noises, like a squeal. Intrigued, Link draws closer to the noise. He peeks through the door, and is astonished. Inside, various maids were scattered in a circle, clearly all fussing over something. When he looks deeper, he sees they are all crowded around Zelda, and she is dressed only in revealing undergarments. An extremely tight black lace corset fitted her upper body, and she only wore frilly matching underwear.

Link can't help but stare, mouth wide open. She was just so enchanting…

Suddenly, a maid catches his eye, and screams, "Peeping tom!"

Shit.

Within an instant, dozens of maids are shrieking, rushing towards him. Link sprints down the halls, not wanting to get caught. The maids were slow, though, and he soon lost them in the winding hallways of the castle and found his way back to his room. He closes the door swiftly behind him. He collapses on the bed, breathing heavily, out of breath. That had perhaps been one of the biggest scares ever. Who would have thought he would look in a room and see that…

Blushing, Link forces such thoughts out of his head with great difficulty.

I can't be thinking about this now. I don't want to dinner with an overly obvious bulge… Haha.

Around an hour later, castle guards escort Link to dinner. It was a very formal occasion, the entire dining room was adorned with dimly lit candles and a large dinner table. The delicious aroma of expensive prime steaks wafts into Link's nose, and his lips curl up in a grin. Food.

By now, most of the men were already seated in the stiff dining chairs, dressed in formal suits, awaiting Zelda. He assumed the larger more regal look chair at the end of the table was for her. Within a few minutes, she arrives, looking stunning as ever.

She is dressed in a long tight fitting sky blue dress that falls off off the tops off\ her shoulders, exposing them. Her hair was styled in small curls that fell just below her breasts. Atop her head, a royal tiara shone. She really was the perfect princess.

Zelda sits in her chair, formalities are said, and the dinner commences. It was eerily silent and awkward for a few minutes the only noises were the occaisonal cough and clink of a fork. Eventually, people began to drink up the alcohol that were beverages given. Within 20 minutes, even many guards were woozy on booze. Some "guards" the castle had.

Once dinner was finished, people began to get up from their chairs in a drunken manner, some of the men stumbling and tripping, nearly falling over after downing so many drinks. It was quite an amusing sight.

The men were herded by the guards out of the dining room and into a large candle lit ballroom. Various musicians were already on a polished wooden stage performing a light and airy classical tune, setting the mood for a casual party.

Meanwhile, the castle guards were huddled in the corner of the ballroom, wildly taking shots of alcohol and laughing rambunctiously while they cheered each other on.

Great, extremely intoxicated guards, really makes me feel safe… Not.

Minutes pass, and Link stands around, not wanting to partake in taking all of those shots. While blanky observing the room, he notices one of the men from the Selection was getting handsy with Zelda, and of course, the guards and other men were too busy drinking shots to notice. It was the man from earlier who had pushed him away from Zelda.

The man was forcefully leading her towards the exit of the ballroom, his hand around Zelda's bottom. She pries his hand off angrily, but he pushes her hands out of the way and traces his fingers down her back. Anger flares up in Link. This scumbag probably wanted to lead Zelda away so he could have his way with her. No way was Link going to let this happen.

He cautiously follows them down the castle halls, waiting for the right moment to pry Zelda away from this man. She was struggling, and as she opened her mouth to scream for help, the man strongly wraps his hand over her mouth. He picks her up as easily as he would a small object, swinging her over his shoulder. She wildly kicks and struggles, but to no avail.

Link leaps behind the man, swiftly but powerfully kicking him in the pit of his legs. The man drops to the floor, screeching. Zelda wiggles free of his grasp and hurries to stand behind Link.

Link assumed the blow had rendered the man unable to move, but abruptly, he jumps to his feet, a blade in hand, a very dangerous and pissed off look in his eyes.

"Zelda, stand back. I'll handle this…" Zelda opens her mouth to object, but he gently shoves her out of harms way.

The man sprints forward, blade in hand. He strikes towards Link's leg first, nearly hitting, but Link managed to narrowly avoid the blade. The man then swiftly slashes at at Link's forearm, not giving him enough time to evade the attack. The blade deeply punctures the skin. Blood gushes instantly from the wound, staining his suit. Having no weapon, Link was at an extreme disadvantage. But, he had to hold him off until some kind of help arrived. "Zelda, go get help!" He hisses, but that moment of lapse had given the man another chance to strike. He feels an intense searing pain of a blade twisting in his gut. He falls to the ground, feeling nothing but terrible agony, every last one of his nerves screaming for release. He wants nothing more than to keep fighting, but he had lost too much blood. The last thing Link remembers was the man standing over him with victorious smirk on his face as Link's vision slowly fades to nothingness.


End file.
